


Only Fools Rush In

by Revasnaslan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alternate Universe - College/University, Background Zarkon/Kolivan, Complicated Relationships, Cultural Differences, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Strained Relationships, Trust Issues, Zarkon is a Good Dad, idk how else to really tag it tbh, they/them pronouns for kolivan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-04 10:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17896463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: Sendak figured that his final semester of college would be boring and uneventful—and then he has a chance encounter during a game tournament held on campus, and his world gets turned upside down.





	1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> i've been picking at this au for a while now, struggling to decide which section of it to post first, and this is the fic that won out in the end... probably for the best considering I wrote the first two chapters over the course of about a week instead of working on stuff that has actual deadlines. oh well :3c
> 
> shoutout to my friend shadow-djinni for beta'ing this on such short notice!! <3

The soft blue light from the holoboard hovering above illuminated Sendak’s apartment. He stared up at it intensely, trying to figure out where else Trugg could’ve possibly hidden the last of her ships. He had already destroyed four of five, but after combing over the board, he had yet to find the final one. In that time, Trugg had only managed to find and destroy two of his. She held far less interest in the game then he did, though, and after making her last turn, her attention had lapsed completely. Now, she was looking at her phone instead.

“Sen, can we go  _ now _ ?” Throk complained from where he sat on the other side of the room. Glancing over, Sendak found him looked ready to pass out from boredom, lounging on the couch with his legs slung over the armrest.

“Not till this game is over,” Sendak said, waving him off as he returned his attention back to the holoboard. Throk let out an annoyed groan in response, and Sendak heard him slump back into his seat.

“Make a move quick, Sen,” Trugg said, looking up from her phone. “Lahn just threatened to come and drag us out of here by our ears if we don’t hurry up.”

“Okay, okay,” Sendak muttered hastily, scrutinizing the holoboard more closely.  Her side of the board had a couple of small planets dotted across it, allowing for a variety of hiding places, but he had already swept over three-fourths of the board. Well, he had asked her not to go easy on him. “E-7,” he finally decided on, deciding to aim at one of the few spots on the map that was left that could potentially hold a cruiser.

“Hit,” Trugg muttered, not looking up from her phone as she rapidly typed out what Sendak assumed was a message to Lahn. Above their heads, a bright red marker appeared, showing that Sendak had managed to track down the location of the last of Trugg’s ships.

“Fucking  _ finally _ ,” Throk shouted, nearly falling over as he scrambled off the couch. “ _ Now _ we can go!”

Sendak gave a bark of laughter. “What if I wanted to beat your ass again?”

Throk scoffed, looking affronted by the suggestion. His ears twitching betrayed his amusement, though. “ _ I  _ was emotionally compromised, it was not a fair match.”

“Emotionally compromised, my ass,” Trugg said, rolling her eyes as she stood up and stretched. Then, without another word, she disappeared down the hall with Throk at her heels. Sendak couldn’t make out exactly what they were arguing about as they went—although he doubted it was little more than a petty squabble—but he chuckled nonetheless and finished packing up the game before joining them.

The bar was only a fifteen minute drive from his apartment, although it took nearly twice that due to the bustling evening traffic. Although Sendak had been born planetside, and had only come to the station for school, he had been surprised to find that it functioned very similarly to a large city. There were a variety of sectors, including residential and commercial districts. He lived in one of the larger and poorer areas of the station. The neighbors were friendly enough and he had his friends, so he had never really minded it that much. When they pulled into the lot that was hidden in between the bar and another, larger apartment building, the music could be heard from outside. Just hearing it was enough to put a bounce in Sendak’s step. It had been far too long since he had been in here, as he hadn’t had the time in between his studies and long evenings spent in the library. His friends had all but begged him to join them for the evening, insisting he had been working too hard.

As soon as they arrived, Throk immediately peeled off to head over to the bar, while Trugg made a beeline for the booth in the back corner—it was where they always sat when they came here. At this point, Sendak was surprised it wasn’t reserved during their usual time, given how often he and his friends visited. Given the time of evening, the place was already bustling, filled with Galran college students, although Sendak did spot a couple of others who were not Galra—probably brought along by their Galra friends. It wasn’t an exclusive club, after all, but other species might have been put off by the noise and sheer energy that was contained within. 

“Sendak, Trugg!” Haxus shouted over the music, raising a hand to wave them over.

“You’re late,” Lahn said blandly as Sendak slid into the booth beside Haxus. However, then his ears gave a curious twitch and eased forward in interest. “What took you so long?”

“We’re late because Sen decided he just  _ had _ to play Battle-Cruiser,” Trugg said teasingly. “He beat both me and Throk on the highest difficulty setting.”

This time, Lahn’s ear twitch seemed to be born out of confusion as he glanced across the table at Sendak. “You’re late because you decided to play Battle-Cruiser?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

“There’s a tournament tomorrow! And it’s been years since I’ve played…” Sendak said defensively. He had been playing Battle-Cruiser for years, starting first with his birthparent way back when he was only a couple of years old, and then continuing as his birthparent’s health had deteriorated—it was just something special that they had used to do together, before his birthparent had died. So, when he had seen a leaflet on the library’s noticeboard, he had been excited to participate and immediately started practicing.

“Is there a trophy?” Haxus asked, eyes lighting up. “What time is it, I’d come to cheer you on.”

Sendak’s ears twitched in amusement as he shot a teasing look in Lahn’s direction. “Why can’t you be that supportive, Lahn?”

“Oh, I support you,” Lahn said. “I’m just not gonna stand on a table and cheer loudly while I do it and make a nuisance out of myself… unlike some people.”

“Excuse you,” Haxus said. “First of all, I was drunk, and second of all, Sendak was totally kicking ass in that arm wrestling competition.”

“I  _ know _ you were drunk. I was the one who drove you home,” Lahn said, rolling his eyes even as his ears twitched in amusement.

Sendak couldn’t hold back his laughter, and when Haxus shot him an exasperated look, he only laughed harder.

—

It really hadn’t been difficult  _ at all _ for Sendak to mop the floor with his opponents during the tournament. The relative ease of his wins didn’t make it any less fun, though. While Battle-Cruiser wasn’t necessarily a hard game, it could be if you were unfamiliar with how the game worked at higher difficulty settings, or how to properly read opponents. However, he didn’t gloat over his victories, and he did try to be reassuring if he noticed someone had gotten particularly upset about their defeat, taking a couple of minutes at the end of several matches to explain the strategies he had used to secure his victories. 

It was just supposed to be for fun, after all, and Sendak really enjoyed helping the freshmen who had decided to try their luck.

“Can you explain the stealth cruisers one more time, please?” 

His latest defeated opponent was a young Terran, perhaps half his size, but with the tenacity of someone twice that. It had proved to be their undoing in the end, as they had attacked his side of the board without much rhyme or reason, desperate to take out his fleet before he could do the same to them. However, now they were watching him with wide, curious eyes, almost timid as if they were worried about taking up his time.

“Stealth cruisers are the only pieces on the board that you can move during the game,” Sendak repeated, speaking slowly and carefully—just in case the translators were having difficulty picking up certain inflections through his accent. “You should place them strategically, so that they’re not hit too soon into the game, allowing you to reposition them after the board has been swept over. Does that make sense?”

The Terran nodded quickly. “Thank you,” they said softly, before holding out their forearm for him to grasp—which Sendak took. “Watch out for the other guy…”

“Other guy?” Sendak asked, ears perking as he tilted his head. He hadn’t been paying attention to many of the other matches that were going on nearby, as he had been trying to keep his focus on watching his own opponents. He glanced in the direction the Terran had indication, and found that the only other game that was still going was just wrapping up on the other side of the room. The two competitors stood opposite to one another, looking up at the holoboard that had been projected into the air above them.

“He’s been clawing his way up,” the Terran said, eying the opponent on the far side of the board. “A good opponent from the matches I’ve observed, but not particularly talkative.”

Sendak was silent, giving the competitor a once-over. He had never seen them on campus before—which wasn’t  _ particularly _ unusual, given that it was a big school. He was sure there were students he had never met before, given the sheer number of disciplines one could study here. There was a reason people came from all over the sector just to attend. He felt like he would’ve remembered this person if he had seem them, anyway. 

At first glance, Sendak had taken them for an Altean, based on their tapered ears and long white hair that was tied back in a plait… but then he noticed that they also had light purple skin and blue eyes—which rivaled Sendak’s in terms of brightness and hue—that had yellow sclerae. Both were decidedly Galran traits.

Unusual, perhaps, not necessarily attractive, but definitely  _ striking _ .

As the match finished up, with this striking person being declared the winner, Sendak wondered how good of a strategist they actually were to have gotten this far. When they spotted him, there was a flash of surprise in their eyes, but their expression was just as quickly schooled in order to remain impassive as they crossed the room to stand in front of him.

“I’m Sendak,” he said politely, holding out his hand.

“Lotor,” they said simply, before reaching out to grip his offered forearm. Then, without saying another word to him, they retreated and took their place on the other side of the holoboard. Sendak’s ears twitched in surprise at their curtness, but he didn’t comment on it—they didn’t seem to be all that talkative… or nervous in the slightest. From across the holoboard, they started at him with unblinking blue eyes, and it felt like he was being deciphered, as if this Lotor was looking for some kind of weakness in him.

Well, now that was interesting…

The board appeared in front of them then, completely randomized and unlike any of the other boards he had received throughout the tournament. The final battle must have been set to the highest difficulty available, as this board was _ far _ more cluttered than any of the previous ones had been, with two large gas giants and an asteroid belt taking up large swaths of the map and leaving little room for large ships. Unluckily, he had received the Imperial Galra Royal Cruiser as one of his ships, which was a death sentence if not applied to the board properly. In addition, he had been given a Galra Research Vessel and three Imperial cruiser ships—two of which were light cruisers.

His saving grace was a stealth cruiser.

He glanced over at Lotor, trying to gauge what his opponent was thinking, but unlike several other opponents he had faced over the course of the afternoon, Lotor didn’t have very many obvious tells. They seemed deathly calm, tapping their chin as they looked over their own half of the board, which had a red giant taking over the right corner of it. A pair of asteroid belts were caught in the red giant’s gravitation field, and several smaller planets littered the rest of the board. Sendak couldn’t see what kind of ships Lotor had either—such was the nature of the game—but Sendak wasn’t nervous. The opposite actually.

This was the most eager he had been for a game all day.

Turning his attention back to his own board, Sendak carefully tucked his research vessel into a small niche in the asteroid belt—if Lotor was smart enough, they’d think to look there, although nobody else who Sendak had faced had noticed that there were occasionally small areas in the asteroid belts to hide ships. His two light cruisers were hidden on opposite sides of the map, while his royal cruiser was put in a rather obvious spot, between a gas giant and the asteroid belt—it was one of two spots that could reasonably fit the largest ship a player could get. His stealth cruiser was hidden elsewhere, near enough to the royal cruiser that it risked getting hit, but hopefully in a spot where it wouldn’t be found immediately at the start of the game.

Finally, he locked in his board, and raised his gaze to look over at his opponent. Lotor had already locked in their own board. They didn’t look terribly enthused, gaze hardened, but they said nothing.

“May the best strategist win?” Sendak suggested, tilting his head.

Lotor mirrored him, tilting their head as they crossed their arms over their chest. Then, they dipped their head. “May the best strategist win.”

“Do you want to make the first move?” Sendak offered.

Lotor’s brow creased as they looked up at the holoboard. “F-5.”

Close. If Lotor had aimed two spaces over, he would have hit Sendak’s research vessel, on the other side of a string of asteroids. “Miss,” Sendak said, keeping his tone even so as not to give anything away.

“Hm, pity,” Lotor said blandly as a bright white marker appeared on Sendak’s side of the board, marking the spot as empty. Then, he threaded his fingers together and leaned forward on his elbows, watching Sendak like a shriik hawk. “Go on.”

Looking back at Lotor’s side of the board, Sendak frowned. The red giant and the asteroids surrounding it on Lotor’s side of the board could have served as a hiding place for ships—particularly research vessels and light cruisers. It seemed unlikely, judging by the layout of Lotor’s board, that they had a royal cruiser, due to the sheer size of the thing.

“G-14,” Sendak finally said, aiming at one of the spots in between the red giant and the first ring of asteroids that surrounded it.

Lotor’s brow quirked up in what appeared to be genuine surprise, and a red marker appeared on their side of the board. “Hit,” they said, although their expression quickly morphed so they didn’t look  _ too _ impressed. But they definitely seemed to be paying much closer attention now, as their ears had shifted forward in interest. “You just hit a light cruiser.”

The next couple of moves passed in the same manner—Sendak easily destroyed the first of Lotor’s ships within two more turns, so he turned his attention to other, similar spots on the board that could have harbored the rest of Lotor’s fleet. Even though he knew that the chances of Lotor having a royal cruiser were slim, he still tested the one place he could see someone hiding such a ship, only to come up empty-handed. If Lotor realized what Sendak was doing, they gave no indication.

But then again, Lotor didn’t seem like much of a conversationalist, even though Sendak attempted to make small talk throughout the game. Sendak couldn’t tell if Lotor was just being rude or if they were just so focused on the game that they didn’t really want to talk, but as the game continued, and the board became littered with white and red markers, Lotor’s enthusiasm seemed to increase, and eventually, they were leaning forward in their seat, brow creased in concentration as they stared up at the board. By now, several ships had fallen, in addition to Lotor’s first light cruiser. After their first misstep, Lotor had managed to find Sendak’s research vessel, and with their last turn, had successfully destroyed one of his light cruisers and seemed poised to destroy the other. For his part, Sendak had found three of Lotor’s ships, after sweeping over the board with a fine tooth comb.

They were pretty evenly matched, although that wasn’t enough to make Sendak worry about losing. Not yet, anyway.

“K-5,” Lotor said, glancing away from the board to meet Sendak’s gaze. They seemed particularly pleased with themself—and why wouldn’t they be? They seemed to have realized they had just found one of his ships.

“Hit,” Sendak said, keeping his voice even so as not to betray his excitement. His smirk betrayed him, though. “You just hit my royal cruiser.”

His nonchalant delivery of the statement caused Lotor’s eyes to widen in what appeared to be shock, and they glanced up at the board again as the red marker appeared. “You left it out in the open?” they asked incredulously. “What are you playing at?”

Sendak’s smirk only widened, and his ears perked straight up in excitement. “You’ll see,” he said cryptically, before glancing back at the board. “A-1,” he said after noting that there was a small space between the edge of the board and a gas giant that Lotor might have hidden a ship in—potentially a research vessel.

Lotor’s ears pinned back, and they let out an irritated hiss. “Hit,” they grumbled. Then, without even telling Sendak  _ what _ he had just hit, they looked back up at the board, and with all the tenacity of a war-bred Kashar, they shouted, “L-5!”

“Hit,” Sendak said, and his smirk became a full blown grin. “You just hit my stealth cruiser.”

Shock slowly worked its way onto Lotor’s face, and their ears shifted back entirely against the sides of their head. They seemed beside themself, unable to think of a response as they looked first at the board—watching mutely as the red hit marker flickered out of existence—before looking back at Sendak.

Then, much to his surprise, Lotor’s face shifted from shock to resignation. “You… you used the royal cruiser… as a diversion,” they said. “You hid your stealth cruiser right beside it, hoping I’d hit it.”

“Yep,” Sendak said—his grin still had yet to fade, he was so pleased his plan had gone off without a hitch. Moving over to the selection screen, he quickly shifted the stealth cruiser’s location to a completely different section of the board, hiding it amongst the asteroids. With half of the board already swept over for ships, Lotor stood little chance of finding it again before Sendak completely destroyed what remained of their fleet.

Lotor seemed to realize that too.

“Ready to give up?” Sendak asked teasingly.

Judging by their smirk, Lotor was actually impressed, but they still let out a soft scoff. “Not on your life,” they said. “Do your worst.”

And so, Sendak did. Although Lotor put up a good fight and nearly took down his royal cruiser, within six more turns, Sendak had completely decimated what remained of Lotor’s fleet. What’s more, Lotor didn’t seem to be offended to have lost at all, and even approached where Sendak was standing at the other side of the holoboard.

“Good game,” Sendak said, holding out his hand, and Lotor took it, gripping his forearm. “You didn’t do  _ too _ badly. I think I tripped you up with the royal cruiser and the stealth cruiser.”

Lotor chuckled softly, staring up at him with an intrigued sparkle in his eye. “Yes, I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“You seemed to know what you were doing,” Sendak continued, leaning back against the table and crossing his arms over his chest. “More than any of my other opponents today.”

Lotor merely smiled and shrugged. “When I was younger, my father and I used to play together all the time when I visited him,” he said, sounding almost wistful. “I was never as good as he was, but I always tried.”

Glancing over at the announcer, it seemed as though it would be at least a couple of minutes before any kind of prize was handed out, and he still had roughly half an hour before Haxus’s class let out—so,  _ theoretically _ , there was time to talk to Lotor. Especially since he seemed much more open to talking now then he had been since they had their rather tense introduction prior to the match.

“Do you attend classes here?” Sendak asked, tilting his head as his ears shifted forward in interest. Lotor looked up in surprise, as if he hadn’t been expecting to be asked that, and Sendak felt his fur heat in embarrassment. “I… I just haven’t seen you around here before, that’s all.”

Thankfully, Lotor didn’t seem offended, and he relaxed, moving to lean back against the table beside Sendak. “I’m studying quintessence research and manipulation,” he said casually. It was a subject Sendak had heard of, but he knew next to nothing about it other than it had a lot of math involved—far too much for him to be able to keep straight. “I just usually use my father’s private library to complete my studies is all.”

Sendak’s ears gave a curious flick at the mention of a private library—that would mean that Lotor came from an influential family, likely a Galra clan with particularly high standing. However, he couldn’t begin to guess which one, even though he knew the names of several that had family complexes on the station, one of which was Throk’s. However, just going based off of appearances, and the fact Throk had never mentioned have a short, half-Altean cousin, Sendak was inclined to believe that Lotor couldn’t have been from Clan Myvoknera.

“Is your father a politician or something?” Sendak asked jokingly.

“He owns a chain of coffeehouses, actually, among other smaller ventures,” Lotor said. “I’m studying quintessence because it’s what my mother does for a living, back on Altea.”

“I assume your father is Galra, then,” Sendak said.

Lotor hummed softly, ears giving an amused twitch. “ _ Very _ Galra. He still dotes on me like I’m a palm-sized cub.”

Sendak actually laughed at that—very Galra indeed. He didn’t know a single birthparent who didn’t dote on their cubs, regardless of how old the cub actually was. His own certainly had. “If your father has a private library, why are you here?” he asked, out of genuine curiosity as he tilted his head to the side. Lotor was difficult to read, but he didn’t strike Lotor as one to avoid his father, judging by how fondly Lotor had been speaking of him.

However, Lotor hesitated, just long enough for Sendak to worry. He watched wordlessly as Lotor’s brow furrowed and his ears tucked back into his hair. While his distress was muted—as if Lotor was trying to hide it—Sendak could still pick up on it, and his ears drooped as guilt settled in the pit of his stomach.

“You don’t have to answer that if it makes you uncomfortable,” Sendak said quickly. “And I… I’m sorry if I somehow offended you.”

Lotor looked up, seeming both surprised and confused by his sincerity, as if he hadn’t been expecting an apology at all. “You… you didn’t do anything wrong, Sendak,” Lotor assured him, shaking his head. “But if you must know, it’s been suffocating to be at home recently… I’m here avoiding my father’s spouse…”

Sendak didn’t miss the implication that Lotor’s father’s spouse  _ wasn’t _ Lotor’s mother—and from the sound of it, they did not like each other at all. As his ears drooped and his brow furrowed, he shifted closer to Lotor. “Do you not get along with them?” he asked, reaching out to gently rest a comforting hand on Lotor’s shoulder.

Lotor immediately tensed at the touch, but after a moment, he sighed and his shoulders relaxed again. “Never have…” he muttered, his thinly concealed rage evident in his tone. “They aren’t really interested in me.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Sendak said. “Because you seem pretty interesting to me.”

A thinly concealed snort left Lotor, and he rolled his eyes, ears twitching in amusement. “Think you’re funny, do you?”

“My friends happen to think I’m hilarious,” Sendak shot back. Then, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly retrieved it to find a message from Haxus about how his class had let out early. “I actually have to go meet up with one of them right now.”

“Pity,” Lotor said, faint disappointment evident on his features. “Perhaps we can play again sometime? I’d love to pick your brain and figure out some of your strategies.”

Sendak laughed. “Sounds like a plan.”

—

_ Sendak (17:15) — did you make it home safely? _

It was a question that Sendak frequently asked his close friends—partially because he had a tendency to worry, partially because it seemed like the  _ right _ thing to do. Even though he and Lotor had agreed to exchange numbers so they could contact each other again, Sendak was still nervous that perhaps he had overstepped some kind of unspoken boundary… but he quickly rationalized it by reminding himself that Lotor might still be making his way home.

He’d—hopefully—text Sendak back when he arrived.

For now, Sendak set his phone to the side, and turned his attention back to his friends—Haxus sitting to his right, drinking what appeared to be some kind of hard liquor, and Lahn across from them, who had already finished his last drink.

“You know, when you promised you’d take me out if I won, I was picturing a nice restaurant,” Sendak said, speaking loudly enough that he could be heard over the music. He was joking, of course. Any time spent with his friends was something he  _ lived _ for, after all—even if half of them hadn’t been able to make it this evening. Trugg was busy, Gnov had a late shift, and Throk had seemingly gone AWOL and wasn’t returning texts, even though Sendak had tried to reach him earlier.

Haxus snorted, nearly inhaling his drink. “You know I can’t afford that, Sen,” he said, ears twitching in amusement.

“I know I certainly can’t,” Lahn said.

Sendak found himself laughing, and he almost missed as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Assuming it was Throk explaining when he had been all this time, Sendak pulled out his phone to check. He was surprised to find that it was  _ Lotor _ who had finally texted him back.

_ Sendak (17:15) — did you make it home safely? _

_ Lotor (17:45) — unfortunately _

_ Sendak (17:46) — what do you mean? _

_ Lotor (17:47) — i got home safely, that’s all you need to know _

Sendak frowned at his phone, unsure of what to make of the last text. Lotor had been relatively closed off when they had been talking earlier, but he hadn’t really gotten  _ snappy _ . Sendak decided not to push him, knowing from experience that sometimes doing so had the opposite effect that you wanted, and he set his phone to the side on the table.

“Stars, where is Throk?” Lahn asked, looking around the bar as if that would make Throk magically appear out of thin air.

Beside Sendak, Haxus shrugged, swirling his half-filled drink around in its glass. “I don’t know, he hasn’t been answering his damn phone. You sure he’s coming tonight?”

Lahn snorted. “Well, even if he doesn’t, I’m still drinking,” he said as he slid out of the booth. “Sen, do you want anything?”

“Designated driver, remember?” Sendak said, jingling his keys at Lahn, who merely rolled his eyes and made his way over to the counter.

“Get me another maltzan!” Haxus called after him.

Then, Sendak’s phone vibrated against the table suddenly, causing both him and Haxus to jump in surprise. Wordlessly, Sendak picked up the phone—he half expected it to be Throk explaining where he was or why he wasn’t coming. He was surprised to find that Lotor had messaged him back again, even though Sendak had been intending to give him some space.

_ Lotor (17:52) — i apologize that was rude of me _

“That Throk?” Haxus asked before he knocked back the rest of his drink.

“Uh… no?” Sendak realized he had hesitated a moment too long when Haxus glanced at him suspiciously, eyes flashing in the dim light of the bar. He had about a second to react before Haxus lunged, making a grab for his phone, but Sendak managed to hold Haxus back with a hand to his chest and keep his phone out of reach.

“It’s nobody!” Sendak insisted, feeling his fur heat in embarrassment.

“Oh, that means it’s  _ somebody _ !” Haxus said with a teasing smirk. He managed to snag hold of Sendak’s phone and his ears perked curiously as he looked over the screen. “ _ Lotor _ ?” he asked, ears perking curiously as he glanced up. “Isn’t that a type of flower?”

“That’s his _ name _ ,” Sendak said, snatching the phone back and holding it out of reach again with an irritated pout. “And if you’re just gonna tease me over nothing than I’m not going to tell you.”

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry,” Haxus said sincerely. But his curiosity seemed to have been piqued, and his ears shifted forward in interest. “So, who is he?”

“He’s the guy who I beat in the tournament,” Sendak said vaguely.

“Uh huh…” Haxus said, holding his chin in hand as he lightly drummed his claws against the table. He peered at Sendak, clearly intrigued by this development, and then a teasing smirk appeared on his lips. “And you decided to give him your number?”

“We got along, that’s all,” Sendak said defensively. “I was being nice!”

Haxus gave a soft hum, sitting back in his seat. “If he hurts you, I’ll maim him,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lahn returned then, carrying two glasses of maltzan, one of which he handed over to Haxus. Then, he plopped back down in his seat… and immediately seemed to notice that something had happened while he was away.

“… did I miss something?” Lahn asked, frowning suspiciously at them.

“Oh, nothing,” Haxus said, feigning innocence—rather poorly, although Sendak wasn’t sure that Haxus had really tried.

Lahn quirked a brow, not looking terribly moved. But then he sighed and plucked up his drink. “Whatever. If it’s important, I’ll find out eventually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> twitter: [revasnaslan](https://twitter.com/revasnaslan)  
> pillowfort: [revasnaslan](https://www.pillowfort.io/revasnaslan)


	2. Chapter II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeeeere's an update! Lotor's POV this time.
> 
> thanks again to shadow for beta'ing this <3

_ Acxa (17:34) — you sure you don’t want to come out with us tonight? _

_ Acxa (17:35) — I’d be more than happy to come and get you _

That was the exact opposite of what he wanted. It had been a decade, if not more since Lotor had actually had any of his friends over at the house. He wasn’t even sure if any of them besides Acxa had visited more than once. The last—and first—time had been shortly after he had moved back in with his father, in no small part due to his father’s spouse and his younger half-siblings.

Sighing, he picked up his phone and quickly typed out a reply before Acxa got worried about him.

_ Lotor (17:38) — i can’t i’m finishing a paper _

_ Lotor (17:38) — you have fun _

Setting his phone to the side again, he turned his attention back to the paper he had been assigned for his mid-term on the history of quintessence refinement—specifically in regards to advancements made post-Galran-Altean alliance, nearly ten thousand years prior. It was a fascinating topic, and he had eagerly sunk his teeth into anything he could get his hands on in regards to the topic. His mother, Honerva, had been more than happy to aid him in his research—it was her field of expertise after all.

He had barely gotten more than a couple of sentences down before there was a soft knock on the door to his room, startling him. Half-turning in his chair, Lotor’s ears perked as he heard his father’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Lotor?”

“It’s open,” Lotor said simply, turning back to his laptop to continue writing his paper. One of his ears swiveled back in the direction of his bedroom door as it eased open and his father must have peeked into the room.

“You’ve been up here all day… what are you working on?” Zarkon asked, stepping into the room and approaching Lotor’s chair. He leaned over Lotor’s shoulder to read off the laptop’s screen. Lotor allowed him to do so, continuing to type in spite of his new audience. Zarkon stared at the screen and out of the corner of his eye, Lotor noticed his father’s brow furrowing in a mix of confusion and concentration. “This is for that… history of quintessence refinement course you were so eager to take?”

Lotor hummed softly and nodded, although he didn’t stop his typing.

“You should send it to your mother when you’re finished,” Zarkon suggested with a smile. “She’d enjoy your work, I think.”

“I already promised her I’d send her the final,” Lotor said, mirroring Zarkon’s smile. His mother had also already proofread several of his assignments this semester, taking time out of her very busy work schedule to make sure she gave his work the attention she felt it deserved. He was sure his father would also want to read it as well. “You don’t want to take a crack at proofreading?” he asked teasingly, turning his head to meet his father’s gaze.

Zarkon scoffed, barely hiding his snort. “No, your mother is far better at that, especially with  _ this _ subject in particular.”

That much was true—Lotor had chosen his major because he had spent most of his childhood living with his mother back on Altea, following his parents’ divorce. Although he had missed his father’s presence terribly during that time, he had still enjoyed living with his mother. It was only when her work schedule had become far too hectic that he had moved back in with his father on the station…

“Perhaps you could also show—” Zarkon began saying, looking almost hopeful.

Lotor’s gaze snapped back to the laptop’s screen. “I fail to see why  _ they _ would want to read a paper on the history of quintessence refinement,” he grumbled, sinking into his chair and watching the cursor on his screen blink.

Zarkon was silent for a moment—almost as if he was trying to think of what to say—before he sighed heavily. “I didn’t mean to upset you, kitling…” he said, reaching out to lightly run his hand over the crown of Lotor’s head, as he had often done when Lotor barely came up to his knee. It was almost enough to get Lotor to relax again.

Almost.

“But I  _ do _ think they would like to read your work, even if it’s not something they’re familiar with,” Zarkon continued. “They do like history, after all, and their degree is in teaching, and—”

“Did you come up here for something in particular, Father?” Lotor said stiffly, cutting his father off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father’s ears droop.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Zarkon said. “And… it would mean a lot to me if you would come down to join us.”

Lotor heaved a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. He had several memories of family dinners with his parents, before they had divorced—and sometimes even after. His parents had remained friends even after the fact, to the point where Lotor questioned why they had gotten a divorce in the first place. While he utterly  _ despised _ family dinners now and avoided them whenever he could, he also still enjoyed spending time with his father… even if he had to put up with the rest of the family to do so.

“Fine,” he finally grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he sunk further into his chair. “I’ll be down in a couple of minutes…”

“Thank you,” Zarkon said, dipping his head to lightly bump his nose against Lotor’s temple. Then, he turned to leave, and on his way out, he paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder. “Good luck with your paper.”

“Thanks,” Lotor said mutely, feeling his own ears droop before he could attempt to stop them. He remained slumped in his chair until he heard the door close behind Zarkon, and the faint, muffled sound of his father heading back downstairs—likely to return to kitchen and help finish dinner. Lotor took a deep, calming breath and allowed his shoulders to sag.

It wouldn’t do the linger on it, especially not when he was so close to finishing off his assignment. However, before his fingers even touched the keyboard, his phone buzzed again, vibrating loudly against the surface of his desk. Lotor had to lunge to keep it from falling to the floor. He almost wanted to ignore it, positive it was just Acxa again, but then it buzzed a second time in his hand, and he caught sight of the screen.

_ 2 Unread | Sendak _

His ears gave a curious twitch despite himself. He and Sendak had been keeping in contact over the last week—somewhat irregularly and mostly late at night when Lotor found that he was unable to sleep. For some reason or other, Sendak was usually up that late, and although Lotor hadn’t asked, he assumed Sendak was pulling all-nighters or something along those lines. Lotor didn’t know why, but he found himself more at ease talking to Sendak than he had been talking to anybody besides his friends in a long time…

With a sigh, he opened the messages on his phone.

_ Sendak (18:15) — i’m at work right now, but it’s so slow _

_ Sendak (18:16) — how’s it going with you? _

It was a common enough question from Sendak. Over the last week, he had checked on Lotor multiple times for one reason or another, although Lotor wasn’t going to even begin to attempt reading into it. Acxa texted him more frequently for the exact same reason, and she was actually very much aware of what was going on at home, where Sendak only knew the basics—divorced parents, and he didn’t get along with his father’s spouse. That was all Lotor had allowed himself to let slip… he didn’t normally make a habit of trying to befriend people he had only just met.

Sendak seemed to do the opposite… it was a refreshing change if Lotor was to be honest.

_ Lotor (18:18) — working on a paper _

_ Sendak (18:19) — for that quintessence class? _

_ Lotor (18:19) — indeed _

_ Sendak (18:20) — i’d love to read it when it’s done _

_ Sendak (18:20) — i’m majoring in history _

_ Lotor (18:21) — i think my mother would like you _

_ Lotor (18:21) — she is one of the most prominent alchemists on altea _

Then, Lotor’s attention was dragged away from his phone—Sendak momentarily forgotten—when there was a loud thump outside his room in the hallway. His gaze snapped to the door of his room, his ears alert and perking straight up in surprise. Listening intently, he could hear a pair of giggles breaking out in the hallway and his ears immediately drew back—his youngest half-siblings wrestling then. Faintly, he heard his father yelling up the stairwell for his half-siblings to be more careful, and then the footsteps of his half-siblings as one chased the other down the hall, likely to the playroom.

His gaze only drifted back to his phone when it vibrated in his hand again.

_ Sendak (18:23) — impressive _

_ Sendak (18:23) — do you want to be an alchemist too? _

Lotor took another deep, calming breath before he replied.

_ Lotor (18:25) — maybe someday, if they’ll have me _

_ Lotor (18:25) — anyway i have to go _

_ Sendak (18:26) — something fun to do? _

_ Lotor (18:27) — if you can call dinner with my family ‘fun’ _

_ Sendak (18:27) — oh _

_ Sendak (18:27) — i’m sorry i didn’t realize _

_ Lotor (18:28) — it’s alrigh _ t

He had half typed out another message, to remind Sendak that he hadn’t known, but Sendak managed to send him another message before he could.

_ Sendak (18:28) — good luck _

It took Lotor a moment to realize he was smiling, and uncertainty settled in the pit of his stomach as his expression hardened again. Stashing his phone in his pocket, he sighed and walked over to the door to his room. Cautiously, he poked his head out, ears perking as he listened for any signs of his half-siblings. He could still hear the two youngest ones—the twins—running around in the playroom, laughing loudly as they did so. Carefully, he strode out of his room and headed down the winding staircase. Once he was down on the main floor, he looked around, but didn’t spot either of his other half-siblings…

But he _ could _ hear his father and his father’s spouse talking— _ laughing together _ —in the kitchen. The sound was enough to set Lotor’s teeth on edge, but he bit back a hiss as he made his way across the living room. He actually stayed home all day, but mercifully, Kolivan had been more preoccupied with keeping the twins out of trouble than they had been with bothering him. He supposed it helped that he had only emerged from his room twice to head downstairs for something to eat. Both times, Kolivan had been occupied or out. But now, Lotor had to deal with them… and his father fussing over them.

“Do you need to sit down, my love?” Zarkon was asking worriedly as Lotor approached the kitchen. Neither his father nor Kolivan had noticed his approach, and their backs remained to the archway where Lotor lingered.

“Zarkon, I’m  _ fine _ …” Kolivan assured him, rolling their eyes as a soft smile appeared on their features. “I’m pregnant, not on my deathbed.”

“But you’ve been on your feet all day,” Zarkon said, more insistently as he took one of Kolivan’s hands into both of his—he seemed intent on getting Kolivan over to one of the dining room chairs despite Kolivan barely even beginning to show at all.

“I’ve done this before, dearest,” Kolivan retorted, with a teasing undertone to their voice as they pulled their hand free and returned to the stove to continue making dinner—some kind of soup dish by the looks of it. “Three times now, remember?”

“I remember losing feeling in my hand because you were gripping it so tightly when Torvok was born,” Zarkon said, mimicking their teasing tone as he lingered at their side—he seemed ready to take their place in front of the stove if it looked like they decided they wanted a break.

“He was a big cub!”

“He fit into the palm of my hand!”

Kolivan actually gave a bark of laughter. “ _ All _ of the cubs fit into the palm of your hand!”

Watching them interact had always left an uneasy feeling in Lotor’s gut that he had never been able to shake—for a number of reasons, although he had given up voicing them at this point. He was almost thankful when his father noticed him standing in the archway to the kitchen, and he felt his shoulders relax just a tad.

“Lotor!” Zarkon said cheerfully.

Immediately, Kolivan tensed—it was a slight motion, and if Lotor hadn’t been watching for it, he might not have noticed at all. Half-turning, Kolivan glanced over their shoulder, ears shifting back. They seemed surprised to see him, and although they opened their mouth, as if intending to say something, they remained silent. Lotor didn’t have time to think on it, as his father was approaching, taking him by the hand and leading him over and plopping him down right next to Kolivan in front of the stove.

“Why don’t you help Kolivan—” Zarkon suggested—he seemed unconcerned and at ease, where Lotor felt his own ears pinning back and anxiety flaring up in his chest again.

“Why can’t you?” Lotor asked, biting back the hiss that was rising in his throat.

“He doesn’t have to do that,” Kolivan said calmly at the exact same time. Their ears pinned further back as they half-turned and looked over their shoulder at Zarkon. “I can finish dinner by myself.”

Lotor’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, shifting over to try and put further distance between himself and Kolivan. They seemed to notice out of the corner of their eye, but they said nothing else.

“Then Lotor can set the table?” Zarkon said, sounding hopeful in spite of the tension in the room.

Sighing heavily, Lotor felt his ears droop at his father’s tone. Even though he really did not want to be here right now—he could have been finishing his paper or out with friends—he supposed he could put with Kolivan alone for a couple of minutes. For his father. “Fine,” he grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned away.

“Thank you,” Zarkon said sincerely, leaning down to lightly bump his nose against Lotor’s temple. Then, he retreated, returning to Kolivan and leaving Lotor standing there alone.

He didn’t move until his father had left, staring at the mosaic backsplash of the kitchen. Mercifully, Kolivan didn’t pay him any mind as they continued preparing the soup, dicing what sounded—and smelled—like kawdis meat. They acted like he wasn’t even there, and even started  _ humming _ a soft tune under their breath… 

Well, he certainly wasn’t going to wait around for them to tell him what to do. Instead, he turned his attention to the cabinets, and reached up to pull a couple of plates off of the shelf—seven of them to be exact.

“You only need five.”

At the sound of Kolivan’s voice, Lotor stumbled, nearly dropping the plates onto the counter. Clutching the plates tightly in hand, he half-turned, looking at Kolivan in surprise. “Excuse me?” was all he managed to get out.

“I said, ‘You only need five’,” Kolivan said simply, not looking over at him as they dropped some of the diced kawdis meat into the simmering pot. “Lexor and Torvok are both staying over at friends’ houses tonight, so it’s just your father, me, the twins, and you…”

Lotor said nothing in response as he put the extra plates back up into the cabinet. Thankfully after that, Kolivan returned to ignoring him, and he was able to go about his business, gathering up utensils, plates, and bowls to bring them over to the table so he could set it. As he worked, he was allowed to get lost in his own thoughts, remembering how when he was younger he used to help his father set the table—and sometimes cook dinner as well… it had been nice, when he visited and it was just him and his father.

“So…” Kolivan spoke up again, dragging Lotor from happier thoughts. “Your father tells me that you’re writing a paper on the history of quintessence refinement?”

Lotor frowned deeply, not turning around even though he felt Kolivan’s gaze on his back. Clearly his father had put them up to this—he had been working on this paper for close to two weeks, and yet Kolivan had never shown any interest in it before. “What do you care?” he muttered, carefully unstacking the bowls he had brought over and setting them next to each plate.

He didn’t look up until he heard Kolivan’s claws click against the counter—seemingly in irritation. They had turned away from the stove and were regarding him uneasily, lips pressed into a hard line. 

“You know, I didn’t have to agree to this,” Lotor hissed. “Father asked me to come.”

“I  _ know _ , Lotor,” Kolivan said evenly. Their gaze hardened, and the fluffy fur of their ears had spiked up making their irritation clear. “That’s why I’m not going to argue with you.”

Lotor scoffed, rolling his eyes as he returned to straightening up the place settings. “Oh no, what a pity,” he muttered under his breath.

Kolivan’s claws gave another click against the counter. “If your father wants you to join us for dinner, then that’s fine.”

Lotor slammed the plate he was holding down on the table and he spun around, eyes narrowing as he met Kolivan’s gaze. They seemed surprised by the suddenness of his actions but their expression sobered almost immediately. 

“Lotor, what in the Void—”

“If you don’t want me around, you could just say so,” Lotor said coldly.

Kolivan’s brow furrowed, and though they opened their mouth, they hesitated to speak long enough for Lotor to get the message. In response, his eyes narrowed, and his lips curled back in the markings of a snarl as he intended to give Kolivan a piece of his mind—

“Vadi!”

Lotor’s gaze snapped in the direction of the archway then, where Kurok had skidded to a halt. Upon seeing him, his younger half-brother’s dark fur had fluffed up in surprise, ears drawing back. Zara nearly ran into his back as she tried to stop herself. Her head plates rippled anxiously when she saw what had caused her twin to come to a stop. Lotor said nothing as his gaze hardened, and he crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to still his shaking hands.

Kolivan gave a soft chirp then—a noise Lotor recognized as one that birthparents would make to get their cubs attention. It worked, as Kurok and Zara looked away from Lotor and at Kolivan instead. “How about you two come over here and help me?” they suggested, sounding much calmer than Lotor felt they really had right to be. Nervously, both Kurok and Zara hurried over to Kolivan, half-hiding behind their birthparent.

“Are you two ready for dinner?” Kolivan asked, turning back to the stove—they seemed to have strategically placed themself so as to be in between their cubs and Lotor. Although both cubs continued watching Lotor, nervously clutching at the edge of Kolivan’s shawl, another soft chirp from Kolivan was enough to get their attention again.

“What’s for dinner, Vadi?” Zara asked almost immediately, ears perking up as she stood on her tip-toes to see into the pot.

“Kawdis stew,” Kolivan responded, carefully nudging her back so she wouldn’t burn herself. Both Zara and Kurok whined, seeming disappointed by the dish. “Oh, come now… how do you know you won’t like it if you don’t try it?”

For the moment, Lotor was forgotten again. Normally, he was content with that. He had long since become accustomed to this kind of treatment—but knowing that he’d have to sit through an entire dinner with them just  _ staring _ at him from across the table while Kolivan pretended nothing was wrong… it caused unease—and rage—to settle in his gut again. He could still feel his hands shaking, and he slowly began backing away towards the archway, while Kolivan and the twins were none the wiser.

He had to get out of here. He had to—

Just as he reached the archway, he bumped into his father’s chest. Half-turning, he tried to school his expression, but his ears pinned back, betraying the inner turmoil he was trying to bite back. He could tell just from the way his father’s brow furrowed that something had happened while he was gone.

“You look like you’ve seen the Void, Lotor,” Zarkon said, tilting his head. “Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine, dearest,” Kolivan spoke up, voice tense as they glanced over their shoulder. “Lotor and I had a… little disagreement, that’s all.”

“Is that what you call it?” Lotor muttered under his breath as he glared in Kolivan’s direction—although Kolivan didn’t return it. His ears perked straight up when he heard his father chirp softly behind him, and he found his attention drifting back to Zarkon. His father still seemed tentatively hopeful, perhaps thinking he could smooth over whatever disagreement had happened while he was gone—but Lotor was  _ not _ in the mood to make peace with someone who didn’t even want him around. Wordlessly, he ducked past his father and out of the kitchen.

“Lotor, wait—” Zarkon started, following after him as he made his way to the door that led out into the garage.

“Zarkon,” Kolivan’s voice came from the kitchen, and when Lotor glanced back, he found that Kolivan had moved to stand in the archway to the kitchen, with Kurok and Zara nervously peeking out from behind them. “If he doesn’t want to stay, he doesn’t have to,” Kolivan said simply. They looked pensive, with a furrowed brow and lips set in a hard line, but they didn’t appear to care one way or another what he was doing. For a moment, they hesitated there, before sighing and returning to the kitchen with Lotor’s half-siblings scurrying after them like two pint-sized shadows.

“If you’re not going to stay for dinner… then where are you going?” Zarkon asked, ears drooping as his shoulders slumped in disappointment. Lotor would’ve felt guilty, had it not been for the irritation lingering in his gut—but he refused to hiss at his father.

“Out,” Lotor said, although he knew that wasn’t going to be enough to calm his father—and while he didn’t mind annoying Kolivan, he did not want to actually worry his father. “Acxa invited me out tonight… I told her no because you wanted me to stay for dinner, but since that clearly isn’t a good idea, I think I’m going to catch up with her and my friends.”

It might’ve been a lie—he was intending to just drive around and think, clear his head—but what his father didn’t know wasn’t going to hurt him.

Zarkon’s ears gave a flick of recognition, despite not having seen Acxa and the rest of them in close to a decade. “Oh… well, have fun,” he said, although concern was still evident in his tone.

Lotor forced a smile—in an attempt to make his father feel better—and crossed the distance between them, hugging his father. A low, soothing purr rumbled in Zarkon’s chest as he wrapped his arms around Lotor, squeezing him tightly for a couple of moments before releasing him, albeit reluctantly.

“I’ll be back later,” Lotor promised. Only then did he turn to leave, feeling his father’s gaze on his back all the while.

—

He ended up on one of the lower sectors of the station—a place he had only visited maybe once or twice, so he did not know his way around at all, and he ended up stopping in a lot to just sit and think. It was relatively quiet, though, which he was thankful for. Only a couple of people seemed to be out and about, which he found unusual given the time, but he supposed that most would be at home by now—it was getting pretty late…

Pulling out his phone, his thumb lingered over Acxa’s contact, tempted to call her and ask if she was still out and if he could join her. But he hesitated, and then backed out of his contact list entirely, ignoring a couple of answered text messages—several from Zethrid, a couple from Acxa… and one from Sendak. Sighing, he climbed out of his car, slamming the door shut and locking it as he shoved his phone in his pocket.

He wasn’t really in the mood for talking anyway.

As he walked out of the lot, he noticed a small bookstore across the way. Ears perking, he trotted over to the window and stared in at the displays. It appeared to be Galra owned, judging by one of the symbols in the window, which Lotor knew was the mark of the Archivists. None of the books in the window piqued his interest, but looking through the window inside, he could see floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and what appeared to be a second floor that overlooked the main one. And in spite of the time of evening, the store still seemed to be open.

So, he pushed open the door, and headed inside.

It smelled like the library back home—like ancient books and old ink. Lotor found the scent calming, in its own way, and he strode forward, heading deeper inside the store, past the massive bookshelves and stacks of well-worn books. He almost missed the Galra that was perched on the counter like some kind of cat. They were watching him like one too, their bright red eyes giving a flash in the dim light as they glanced up from their phone. Had it been darker, Lotor thought he might’ve been startled.

“Isn’t it unprofessional to sit on the counter?” Lotor questioned, frowning at them as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The Galra snorted, looking back to their phone. “Bold of you to assume I’m an employee.”

Lotor turned away with a huff, looking around the shelves—for a moment, he figured he’d be able to find the anthologies alone, if this Galra was going to be unhelpful. But the shelves and books were too numerous. He couldn’t even begin to think about where the anthologies would be, if the store had any at all. “Well, if  _ you’re _ not an employee, is there one around?” Lotor asked, half-turning to look at the Galra again.

“He’s in the back,” the Galra said simply, ears twitching in amusement. They didn’t seem keen on being any help whatsoever.

“Then could you please fetch him?” Lotor asked, trying to keep his voice even.

The Galra heaved a sigh and finally looked up from their phone long enough to shoot a glare in his direction before looking over their shoulder. “Sendak!”

At the name, Lotor’s eyes widened in surprise. Surely, it couldn’t be his— _ that _ Sendak, the one who had beaten him in the tournament and then proceeded to text him on and off for a week. While he felt a need to run, his feet remained locked in place as he tried to rationalize. The station was massive, surely there were multiple Galra named Sendak living on it, despite the relative rarity of the name. And even if it was that Sendak, it wouldn’t be that terrible to see him again. Lotor had been meaning to schedule another meeting or something… it’d be fine. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his nerves.

The Galra sitting on the counter quirked a brow at him, seeming confused by his reaction. “You alright?” they asked, tilting their head to the side. “You look like you’ve see the Void.”

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Lotor said icily, ears pinning back in irritation.

Rolling their eyes, the Galra turned their attention back to their phone right as Sendak stumbled out of the backroom, carrying a rather large box effortlessly—although it was little wonder why. If Lotor looked hard enough could see that Sendak had more than decent muscle mass rippling beneath all that fur. Feeling his cheeks heat, Lotor was quick to avert his eyes. A moment later, in his peripheral vision, Lotor saw as Sendak dropped the box as soon as he saw Lotor standing on the other side of the counter. The loud thump that resulted caused the Galra sitting on the counter to glance up in surprise and look over at Sendak—and they didn’t appear to like the surprise that was on Sendak’s face.

“Is this guy bothering you, Sen?” the Galra asked.

“What?” Sendak asked, frowning at the other Galra, who Lotor assumed was a friend of Sendak’s at this point. “No… no, he’s fine, Haxus. That’s uh… that’s Lotor.”

Haxus quirked a brow, although his ears twitched in amusement for a moment as he turned his gaze back on Lotor. He gave Lotor a once over, looking him up and down. “Oh, so  _ this _ is Lotor?” he asked, and Lotor noticed how Sendak’s surprise quickly morphed into exasperation. “He’s cute,” Haxus continued, and the tone of his voice, paired with the teasing smirk, made it clear he didn’t mean ‘cute’ in an attractive way so much as a ‘hardly intimidating’ one.

Lotor’s ears shifted back before he could attempt to stand his ground, and a snarl rose in the back of his throat. Haxus didn’t seem terribly impressed, though.

“Haxus,” Sendak said in a warning tone. “Be nice.”

“Oh, lighten up, Sen,” Haxus said, waving him off before he returned to his phone. His smirk remained in place, however. “I’m just teasing.”

Sendak rolled his eyes, but he didn’t seem to be too perturbed by Haxus’s reaction to Lotor. Instead, he ducked out from behind the counter and stood in front of Lotor—effectively in between Haxus and him. “So, what can I help you with?” Sendak asked, tilting his head as his large ears flicked curiously.

“Do you have any anthologies?” Lotor asked. “I’ve never been here before—” He hadn’t even known this place  _ existed. _ Behind Sendak, he could see Haxus watching the both of them like a hawk. It almost reminded Lotor of how Kolivan always watched him whenever he was anywhere near his half-siblings. Distrust was evident in Haxus’s gaze.

“Anything in particular?” Sendak asked, seeming utterly oblivious to Haxus… or perhaps he was used to it and untroubled by it. “Like genre-wise, I mean.”

“Science Fiction?” Lotor said. “Particularly older stuff.”

Sendak’s ears perked up in interest. “Oh, we have some  _ really _ old stuff,” he said, already wandering off and heading towards the back of the store. Lotor immediately hurried after him, although he felt Haxus’s stare at his back. “I’m talking like… pre-hyperdrive old,” Sendak continued, glancing behind himself to make sure Lotor was keeping up. “Mostly Galran, although I think we might have one or two from the Dalterion Belt?” He stopped in front of a tall bookshelf and started climbing the ladder that was beside it. The fact he even needed a ladder was shocking, but the shelves were  _ that _ tall.

“Gotta say, though, you don’t strike me as the type to like this kind of stuff,” Sendak said as he looked over the shelves.

Lotor’s ears twitched and he frowned up at Sendak. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean…  _ this _ ,” Sendak said, motioning around himself with a wide sweeping motion—one that Lotor was surprised he didn’t lose his balance doing. “I assume you live up on one of the upper levels—you said your father was affluent. He has a  _ private library _ … I just wouldn’t expect to see you in a place like this, that’s all.”

For a moment, Lotor stood there in silence, internally debating how much he was willing to share—he didn’t make it habit to spill all of his woes onto people unless he was particularly close to them, and at this point he didn’t think Sendak necessarily qualified. But over the last week, Sendak had never struck him as  _ judgmental _ … more sympathetic than anything.

“You mentioned a family dinner earlier,” Sendak said as he plucked a book off the shelf and looked over the cover. However, he seemed to decide against it as a choice, and he quickly put it back.

“I didn’t end up staying,” Lotor said simply. “It was better if I didn’t.”

“Fight with your step-parent?” Sendak guessed, pulling another, much larger book off the shelf. He seemed to like this one better, as he passed it down for Lotor to take.

“How could you tell?” Lotor asked, clutching the book to his chest without even looking at it.

“You’re tense,” Sendak said simply, returning his gaze to the bookshelf. “I know I’ve only seen you in person once, but your shoulders are way stiffer than they were during the tournament.”

Lotor sighed. “I’m here because I had to get out of that house,” he explained vaguely. “At least for a little while.”

Sendak hummed softly as he continued looking over the shelf—he seemed to have realized that Lotor wasn’t really in a talkative mood, and was more than happy to drop the subject. Lotor appreciated it, and he found his shoulders relaxing. Now, he glanced at the book he had been given. It was relatively old and worn, a reprint of a much older text that must have originally been printed shortly after the first satellites had been launched off of Daibazaal, judging by the title. That would definitely make for an interesting read while he was holed up in his room until he finished his midterm paper.

“You like that one?”

Glancing up, Lotor found that Sendak was watching him, still perched up on the ladder. The light from the nearby wall was catching in his fur, causing it to almost glow in the dim light, and Lotor cleared his throat awkwardly as he averted his gaze back down to the book’s cover.

“Yeah, I’ll take it,” he mumbled.

“Great!” Sendak said cheerfully as he slid back down the ladder and landed on the floor beside Lotor. Wordlessly, Lotor followed him over to the counter. “That’ll be twenty GAC.”

Lotor reached into his pocket and his heart sunk when he realized he had accidentally left his wallet at home. He hadn’t had a chance to grab it when he left the house as quickly as he had. Glancing up awkwardly, he found that Haxus appeared to be watching him with a stare that could only be described as judgmental, while Sendak seemed a little more sympathetic.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sendak said quickly, shaking his head. “I’ll pay for it.”

Lotor’s ears perked straight up, and he felt the most at ease he had felt all evening. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _vadi_ is like the super informal term for one's birthparent (ie, the parent who carried) in Kolivan's native dialect...
> 
> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> twitter: [revasnaslan](https://twitter.com/revasnaslan)  
> pillowfort: [revasnaslan](https://www.pillowfort.io/revasnaslan)


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